Ms Whelpton said she has been humiliated but will still use the buses

The Confederation of Passenger Transport in Wales said bus drivers had the same responsibility as train drivers and pilots.

Spokesman John Pockett said: "The driver is in charge."

Sian Whelpton, from Risca near Newport, was told to get off a bus because her two-year-old son was crying.

She was on a Glyn Williams Travel bus on her way home from a shopping trip with her three children when her two-year-old son, Kai, burst into tears.

People shouldn't be talked to like that when they have children Sian Whelpton

She claimed the driver stopped the bus and told her: "I've had a guts full of your kid."

The Pontllanfraith-based company has already backed the driver, claiming he acted out of his legal duty to ensure the safety of the other passengers.

And the firm's stance has been backed by the Confederation of Passenger Transport in Wales, a lobby group for the bus industry.

Spokesman John Pockett said he was unable to comment on Ms Whelpton's particular case but said the driver's decision had to be seen as an operational issue.

He said: "The bus driver is in charge of the bus and it's his judgement what is a distraction and what isn't.

'No choice'

"If something happened and somebody had been hurt and it emerged that this was a factor, the driver would have been pilloried for that.

"It isn't easy driving a bus in today's traffic conditions. It is unfortunate for this person but the driver is in charge."

When the BBC's news website canvassed the public's response on this issue, it was flooded with responses.

The majority of people were in support of Ms Whelpton but a significant minority backed the driver's decision.

Ms Whelpton said she felt humiliated by the driver and was still angry at the firm, but she said that had no choice than to carry on using its bus services.

"It's my only form of transport. I don't have a partner and my dad had a stroke a couple of months ago, so he can't take me anywhere.

"People shouldn't be talked to like that when they have children. I do feel a bit awkward about going back on, especially with the children.

"It's hard work a child is crying, it's bound to get on people's nerves, I understand that.